The present invention relates to a greatly miniaturized electro/mechanical microchip that is low cost. The microchips made by the invention are suitable for a one time use. The material selection is from a transparent material such as glass, Si, LiTiO3, LiNbO3, transparent ceramics, polymers, transparent conductors, wide bandgap glasses, crystals, crystalline quartz, diamonds (natural or man-made), sapphire, rare earth formulations, metal oxides for displays and amorphous oxides in polished or unpolished condition with or without coatings. They are made using a method and apparatus for machining transparent target substrates involving filamentation by burst ultrafast laser pulses.
There is a huge demand for the continued miniaturization of electro/mechanical microchips such as biochips, and MEMs devices. Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) is the technology of very small devices. Traditional photolithographic processes may be used to form electronic devices in substrates and include the application of photoresist, masks, applying light to imidize portions of the photoresist, wet and dry etching, etc. The method for making a MOSFET includes application of photoresist, masking, and etching. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,389,675 to Hunter et al. issued Jun. 24, 2008.
Creation of microfluidic channels generally uses molding and the sample is covered with a glass plate and glued. Others have attempted without success to manufacture microchannels in bulk glass using laser alteration and etching.
Not only does it reduce the cost of the materials, it allows for more system complexity in less space. Microfabrication is directed primarily to mechanical drilling or scribing methods and/or laser micromachining, laser modification, chemical etching, masking and plating and molding techniques. Thicker substrates are necessary for the underlying structure, and while these methods are constantly being refined, the next level of miniaturization will require much more precision.
Henceforth, an electro/mechanical microchip that can be constructed on a thinner substrate with smaller functional elements such as electrical pathways, component securement points, fluid/gas pathways, size separators/filters and the like would fulfill a long felt need in the electro/mechanical microchip industry. This new invention utilizes and combines new technologies in a unique and novel configuration to overcome the aforementioned problems and accomplish this.